The Marauders and Lauren
by LovesSiriusBlack
Summary: A girl from Hogsmeade meets The Marauders during the full moon. There is an accident, leaving her in the care of The Marauders. Can they handle the responsibility?
1. The Shrieking Shack

The Shrieking Shack

My name is Lauren Erin Palmer. I wish it were something more exciting, like Esmerelda. Yeah... then I would make people call me Effie! I have flaming red wavy hair and violet eyes. Everyone in my family has blue eyes, so I figure it was a misaimed spell that my parents never really bothered to tell me about. I'm also the only healthy one in my family. I mean really, a nice apple sounds loads better than a greasy cheeseburger--that's completely off track, though.

The story really starts with me running through the woods, screaming my head off. Why, you ask? Well, I was being chased by what seemed to be a very large wolf. As I'm sure you can imagine, this was quite horrifying. Well anyway, I was being hunted. And more importantly, I had forgotten my wand.

Needless to say, I'm quite the idiot.

Fortunately for me, I saw an old abandoned house not too far ahead, with the door mysteriously open. Unfortunately, it was the shrieking shack. Pondering, I thought I'd much rather face a bunch of bloodthirsty ghosts than a wolf at the moment, but that's just me.

I ran in quickly and slammed the door behind me, sprinting up the stairs, while the door crashed open seconds later. All I could think was, "Lovely place to die in, quite roomy..." When I turned around to meet my fate fearlessly (well okay, maybe not "fearlessly" but bravely, at least…), there was a great black dog and a stag fighting the wolf off.

Utterly confused at the sight of these mysterious animals, I almost forgot to run. 'Almost' being the key word there, but it was too late anyway. In the process of fighting, the wolf threw the dog towards me, whilst still fighting with the stag. My head hit a wall, and I immediately blacked out.

hr /hR 

Awakening on a bed, I was sure that it was all a dream. However, when I felt my head throb like mad and my arms sting, it all rushed back to my brain.

"Will she be okay, Madame Pomfry?" asked a hoarse voice, filled with concern.

"Yes, but she will have to stay for quite a while. She scraped her arms on a poisonous Frendrillus tree, and the antidote takes some time to prepare," resounded a motherly, yet stern-sounding woman. "I will be back in a few minutes; she needs some new bandages for her head. That was quite a concussion," she finished distractedly. She hurried off, perhaps into her office.

With the closing of her office door, I tore my eyes open and sat up in my bed, my eyes focusing on the figures about me.

"Who are you? Where am I? What happened?" I questioned without hesitation. I quickly felt dizzy, and dropped back onto my pillow. There were four boys standing over me, surely taken aback by my sudden awakening. The first was short and chubby, with short brown hair and the facial features of a rat. I shook this thought off, knowing it was a rather rude thing to think. The second boy was however, in my opinion, very cute. He had sandy long-ish hair, and deep blue eyes. The third had dark hair, round glasses, and hazel eyes, and last, definitely not least, was the best-looking one of all of them. He had long, elegant black hair that fell gracefully to his shoulders and intense gray eyes that held a mischievous glint. I tried to ignore my sudden heart palpitations, as it simply would not do to get all fan-girlish over a boy I did not know.

The sandy-haired one spoke first, and I realized that he was the one with the hoarse voice.

"Well, I'm Remus, that's Peter, that's James, and that is Sirius. You're in the hospital wing at Hogwarts, and we… erm… found you at the shrieking shack," he finished a bit hesitantly.

"Oh, okay. My name is Lauren Erin Palmer…" I responded, making special care to use my middle name, as it seemed more proper. "…And, wait… I'm at Hogwarts? I go to a school not too far from here, at Hogsmeade School," I said cheerfully, because it surely didn't freak me out to be in a strange school. Actually, I was ecstatic. Exciting stuff like this never happened to me. I was just leading a dull life.

The ratlike boy had an incredibly confused expression on his face.

"There's a school in Hogsmeade?" he asked, and I recognized him as the one named Peter. I gave a look of disbelief. Of course there was! Did he really think they attended the only school in the country?!

"Of course there is! There are over 200 other schools in the country too, you know!" said the one called Sirius. James gave him a strange look.

"Since when did you know stuff like that? That's Moony's job."

Sirius gave him a very dignified look.

"Well, I wouldn't have had to if he weren't so busy staring at her…"

The one they called Moony (who turned out to be Remus)'s face flushed a deep scarlet until he retorted, "I was just making sure she was okay…" Sirius grinned, and then said, "Well it looks like you think that and more, mate."

Seeing as I was sitting right there, I felt the need to say something.

"You know, I am right here if you don't mind talking like so in my presence," I snapped. They looked back at me sheepishly, so I decided not to press the matter anymore. I tried to sit up, only to find that I was too tired to support myself. I collapsed back down onto the bed, once again blacking out.


	2. The Scratch

Well, they THOUGHT I had blacked out, but really, I was just a bit dizzy. I was trying to rest for a moment, but they thought otherwise.

"Looks like she blacked out again," said Remus with a sigh.

"Should I get Madame Pomfrey?" asked Peter fearfully.

"Don't get Pomfrey, she's fine, right Moony?" Sirius asked with a bark-like laugh.

"Ah, let the man stare in peace," laughed (who else?) James.

This sounded like the beginning of a rather interesting conversation, so I stayed "blacked out" for a while. I'm not a bad girl, really. Think about it though; would YOU miss out on such a fascinating conversation?

Surely not!

"I must admit Moony, she is pre-" Sirius started, before he was interrupted by Remus.

"Shut up..."

"What, can't I stare at her t-"

"Shut up."

"Are you still mad-?"

Remus merely sighed.

I had heard enough. My eyes fluttered open and I looked back up at the boys. "You're still here?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well...we-"

"What, is something wrong?"

"Actually, er...well no…"

Unfortunately, Madame Pomfrey suddenly came in, ruining my fun.

"Leave the poor girl alone! She needs her rest!"

She rushed over to her bed to look at my arms again.

"Oh dear, they are worse then I thought. Let's see…"

She dabbed a glowing purple potion on my arm, causing me to scream shrilly. The poor boys looked as though they may have gone deaf.

"But this is supposed to ease the pain! Unless…" Her face paled. "Oh…dear, I still have to sterilize it, but it's worse than I thought…" her voice trailed off and she cringed. Although I did not know it at the time, this happened rarely to Madame Pomfrey, because of all of her experience with gruesome injuries.

"Good heavens! Your leg is bleeding! We'll need to fix that as well."

She began to pull up on my gown when suddenly, she turned towards the boys.

"You lot, I told you to leave ages ago! Go on now. i OUT!" /i 

She snatched the hangings around the bed and applied a blood-red potion to my leg, causing me to bite my lip.

"Honestly, child, I have only known you thirty minutes, and already you've come to me with three injuries!" She huffed and collected her potions. "Rest up, goodness knows you could do with it."

Madame Pomfrey swiftly collected the empty flasks, and cleaned the mess with a flick of her wand. She was about to leave when she turned to me and said, "Here is your wand dear, and… you will need to speak with the Headmaster in the morning, as well as your own."

My heart jumped in my throat. Surely a few scratches and a concussion were not enough of a problem as to involve the headmasters…

Before I knew it, I drifted off too sleep. My dreams were troubled, however.

i I was running through the forest, but it couldn't be me! It was that wolf! There was a large full moon hovering above me…there was someone--no—some /i thing i running beside me. It was another wolf! What was going on? The wolf led me to a tree, and we climbed in… how could one possibly climb /i into i a tree? …There was someone in there! My instincts told me to attack, but a voice in the back of my head told me to stop… /i 

I sat up shaking and put a hand to my head. For a moment I wondered where I was… but everything flooded back as soon as I noticed a few boys talking in hushed tones.

I frowned. "What are you lot doing here?"

Two of them jumped at the sound of my voice, looking guiltily at me, but the other two were smirking. One of the smirking ones stood up, and gave an overly-exaggerated bow. He said, "The Marauders at your service! We are to escort you to the Headmaster's office my dear Lady…" I had recognized him as the handsome one, Sirius.

"How am I to do that? I'm-"

"Completely healed," James interrupted. I looked down to realize that I felt no pain in my legs. There was still a bit in my arms, however, but I decided it was tolerable.

I jumped up out of bed, and said, "Okay! Let's go!" The one called Remus looked at me awkwardly. His friends sniggered, except the chubby one who was just staring out the window.

"Er…you might want to get properly dressed…" Remus said tentatively.

I looked down at myself and chuckled. Once again, the boys were taken aback. I was used to guys seeing me like that often, as my usual…er... i attire /i looked similar due to the fact I went to the hospital wing so often in my old school. I'm not exactly a magnet for trouble, but I get sick easily.

The Marauders waited patiently for me to get dressed, teasing Remus in hushed voices.

"Hey Remus, you looked happy back there…"

"Shut up."

"I won't lie to you Moony, I wasn't complaining either…"

i "Shut up." /i 

"I can't help it…"

"SHUT UP!"

"Is there a problem, boys?"

I was finished getting dressed and was listening to the conversation with a smirk. As I began to stand up from the bed, I nearly collapsed. James, who was closest and had good reflexes, caught me easily.

"I suppose we should have warned you about that…" James said guiltily, ruffling his hair.

"It's no problem, with the exception of the fact I thought I was 'completely healed'…"

"Slight mistake," Sirius grinned and walked over to help James.

I began to wonder why I needed a four-person escort…

"Onward!" Sirius shouted out. As we marched out of the hospital wing, I decided I really didn't care. They entertained me quite a bit. Sirius and James seemed to be the loud, witty pair; Remus seemed to be the quiet one, yet he had a startling sense of humor and would crack jokes when you least expected it. Peter seemed to be quiet, he mostly laughed at the others jokes, but once in a while he would say something rather amusing as well.

The boys soon realized I was somewhat like them as well. I had a witty, yet unexpected sense of humor, played Quidditch (keeper), and laughed heartily at most of their jokes. All too soon we reached Dumbledore's office. Peter walked over and muttered something I couldn't hear to a stone gargoyle. To my shock, it jumped up to show a passage, which I assumed was the way to the headmaster's office.

I didn't know it at the time, but when I got up there, my life would change forever.


	3. I'm a WHAT?

As I walked into the Headmaster's office I saw something terrible. What was going on? What a hideous green sock! And with orange pom-pom's on the toes yet! However would one

put on shoes? What sort of sick freak would knit those! No, I am afraid to say that that is not what I saw. Indeed, 'twas something far worse.

There, in the middle of the room, sat my parents.

They wore identical shocked looks on their faces. To their right was a kind-looking man who had a long silver beard and flowing violet robes. I knew he was the Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore; I had a few chocolate frog cards of him. On his right was i my /i Headmaster, a severe man with a deep frown on his face and furrowed brows.

Something strange was going on. My Headmaster, Professor Ivanian Nura, was very strict, but he wouldn't bring my parents over because I snuck out past curfew. i Seven o'clock /i for Heaven's sake, can you blame me? It's enough to drive anyone mad!

Professor Dumbledore stood up from his seat.

"Please take a seat. I understand you got a few scratches on your arms, Miss Palmer. Would you care to show us?"

I did not have the slightest clue WHAT on earth was going on, but I kept silent and showed them anyway, shaking back my sleeves quickly.

"Yes, that is exactly what I thought. Miss Palmer, do you know what that scratch is from?"

"Uh... it's from… some poisonous tree?" I asked tentatively.

"Sadly, that is not the case. Minerva? Could you please bring back Remus Lupin? He ought to be waiting at the bottom of the staircase."

A woman I hadn't seen before gave a curt nod and headed for the door. A few moments later she returned with a pale and slightly shaking Remus in her wake.

"Please have a seat, Remus," said Dumbledore considerately.

"Yes, Headmaster."

"As I have just told your parents and Headmaster, Miss Palmer, that is no ordinary scratch, and that was no ordinary wolf. That wolf was Remus, who is a werewolf. And that "scratch" is a werewolf bite."

He paused to let his words sink in.

I was stunned. There was no other word for it. My parents are going to be SO angry, I thought. Not for of sneaking out, like most normal parents would be. Oh no, it was because they were only concerned about being "untainted", as they loved to call it. The school I went to was for pure-bloods only.

Now I was part werewolf. Ha-ha. I was suddenly thrilled. My parents would kick me out,

I would be expelled from my idiotic school, AND I would get to live with my uncle. He had trying to save me from my stupid parents for years. They were, of course, attempting to poison my mind with their pure-blood mania. But they wouldn't give in.

That is, until now. I smiled vaguely. Uh, oh! They're staring. Better look concerned.

Remus was a different story. He looked like he might spew at any given moment.

My Headmaster stood up.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow a... a... i wolf /i in my school."

With those few words, he bid my parents a good day, turned on his heel, and left. They were absolutely furious.

"How DARE you-"

"This is all your fau-"

"Stop!" Remus interrupted, his voice choked.

"This is my entire fault. Do not blame her. I must have not locked the door to the passage or this might have never happened."

I felt a sudden surge of sympathy towards him. He must have felt i awful /i , the poor dear.

"Don't blame yourself. I should not have been there in the first place," I said, hoping to calm him somewhat.

"I don't care WHOSE fault it is! You are out of my house!" my father shouted.

"Fine," I said cheerfully, turning to exchange a grin with Remus, only to find he looked as pale as a ghost. I sighed and turned back towards my enraged parents.

"I hate it there, anyway. I'll move in with Uncle Eric," I finished.

Speak of the devil, Uncle Eric burst through the door.

"I'll take her! She does not need to stay with such unloving parents."

How on Earth did he know, you ask? He's a seer, and... er... he was also i quite /i talented at hearing every word we were saying through the door... I did not bother myself to speculate on how he even knew to BE there in the first place.

"Well, it is a little late for that. You can have her though," my father said coldly.

With those final words, he and my mother strode out of the room, noses in the air. I hoped they would trip down the stairs. Dumbledore rose to his feet and said, "It's not the way we usually accept students, but does she have your permission to attend Hogwarts?" I had almost forgotten he was there. I looked at my uncle hopefully, who looked like he had never been happier.

"Of course she can!"

He then turned to me.

"We will go to Hogsmeade tomorrow and get your new things!"

He walked over and enveloped me in a hug. But pulled back and blinked.

"Is she to stay here for the night? Will she be okay?" he asked, sounding more serious.

"It would be the best thing for her; we will talk about her illness tomorrow. Remus, could you escort her to the Hospital wing? I also would like you to show her to the Great Hall at breakfast so she may be sorted."

Seeing how he was incapable of speech, Remus just nodded. My uncle...er, I guess dad now...well Eric flashed a grin at me, and I felt a surge of comfort. Everything was going to be fine. He gave a wave to Dumbledore and left.

Remus stood up and offered a hand to help me up as well. As soon as we walked out the door, he began apologizing.

"Look, this is my fault. I don't care what you say; I could have killed you, for Merlin's sake!"

"Remus, relax. If it were not for you, I'd be at that school getting whipped for sneaking out. I'd rather be a werewolf."

"A what?!"

I didn't realize it, but the boys were still at the bottom of the stairs.

"He bit me, and I got kicked out of my pure-blood school. Oh! And my parents kicked me out. I'm going here now and moving in with my uncle!" I said quite cheerfully.

"Looks like a Marauder in the making! After a few trials, of course," said Sirius.

"Be serious, Sirius," laughed James.

"I'm already Sirius. Siriusly."

"I don't get it," said Peter.

"There is nothing to get." Remus hissed. "YOU two don't get the big picture. SHE IS A BLOODY WEREWOLF NOW! I COULD HAVE i KILLED /i HER FOR MERLIN'S SAKE!" Remus stated, his voice steadily growing louder.

"Calm down," I said, patting him on the arm.

He turned to me to say something and his eyes grew wide in shock.

"What happened to your eyes?" he asked, confusion etched upon his face.

"What do you mean?"

"They're...blue..."

i What? /i 

"Don't be stupid Moony," said James. I sighed with relief.

"They're blue- i green /i ," Sirius finished, handing me a mirror.

"AUGH!" screamed I.

"She's must a Metamorphagus as well as a werewolf," said Peter quietly.

"First Sirius, and now PETER?! Am I the only not-too-smart one left?!" James yelled.

"No. I only know because my second cousin, twice removed's aunt's brother-in-law is a Metamorphagus," Peter said.

"Oh."

"Oh wow! That is SO cool! I wonder if I can do it again," I exclaimed.

"I doubt it," said Peter, happy to know something.

"It took him a long time to master it. I bet he will give you lessons, though."

I grinned and gave him a hug.

"Oh, so Peter and Moony can hug her, but I can't!" Sirius huffed.

"I hugged him, you moron," I rolled my eyes.

"Sounds like someone's jealous," said James. Then he looked past Remus.

"Who is that guy with Evans? Is that i Diggory?!" /i he scowled.

"Can we go now? It looks like Moony's gonna collapse."

It did look like he would, I was probably heavy. I tried to shift my weight, and I could nearly stand.

Sirius came over and helped, too. Suddenly, there was a voice right near us.

"Who's the new kid, Potter?" he sauntered over and smirked.

"I'm Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy. Seventh year."

"I'm Palmer, Lauren Palmer. Fifth year," I said, mimicking him.

"Really?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow, ignoring my tone.

"You might not want to stay around this lot. They're filthy blood traitors."

"Really?" I inquired, raising my eyebrows.

"Well, thanks for pointing that out. I'm going to stop speaking with them and join you, a total stranger, and be friends with you. Now tell me, just who do you think you i are?" /i 

During the whole time, I had been getting the feeling back in my leg. I tried to walk towards Malfoy to yell at him more, but Remus led me away to the hospital wing.

"Don't want to mix with that lot. They are like your parents, no offense though; mine are worse," said Sirius.

As soon as we got there, Madame Pomfrey led me to a bed and put more potions on my arms. Luckily, they felt MUCH better this time.

A few games of Exploding Snap and a flagon of pumpkin juice later, the boys left for dinner.

After my (tasteless) dinner, I drifted off to sleep. Despite the sudden changes, I felt as though I had never been happier in my life.


	4. A Belated Sorting

I awoke to the sound of someone yelling " b CANNONBALL! /b ", a grinning Sirius on my lap, and a harassed Madame Pomfrey.

" i Honestly /i !" The medi-witch fussed, "As soon as I say she is well enough to leave!" I could hear her muttering all the way down to her office.

"Good morning sunshine! Ready for a fun-filled grand tour?" asked James, now standing next to Sirius, who was, of course, still on my lap.

Not that I really minded.

"Sure! I need to get properly dressed first, though."

These words were greeted by silence.

"...Therefore you should leave."

Sirius sulked and left, muttering about how unloved he was. James shrugged and followed.

I was not sure of what I supposed to wear, so I put on a 'nice' pair of plain black robes like the boys were wearing.

Ick.

When I opened the curtains, the boys immediately stopped their whispering.

"No, no. Feel free to continue," I said with a smirk.

Sirius looked up in a very harassed manner and said, "Oh no, you don't! You are not a Marauder I yet /I !" He went over to me and crossed his arms like a tormented two-year-old.

Well, maybe a two-and-one-half-year-old. I have to give him i partial /i credit for not sticking his tongue out at me.

Only partial, though.

"Can we go now? I'm bored," Remus, James and Peter said unhappily in unison. It was a bit creepy.

hr /hr 

" b SORTING! SORTING! GOIN' TO A SOOOOORRRRRRTTTIINNGGGG!!!!! /b ", sang Sirius at the top of his lungs (with a i Sonorous /i charm, naturally) as we walked to the Great Hall.

Immediately, many the students (and quite a few teachers) clamped their hands over their ears.

When Sirius finally finished his song, Dumbledore said,

"Thank you for that delightful song, Sirius. Although, could we let the Sorting Hat sing, as it is normally his job?"

Sirius went into deep thought for a moment, nodded, and then took off the charm.

" i Quietus /i ," he muttered.

The hat sang a song about the houses and unity between them. How odd.

"Splendid. Miss Palmer, you are to put on the hat, and it will sort you into your house."

Well THAT sounded easy enough. James was going on about defeating a lethifold. I figured that I would have to strangle him for that later.

I walked over to the stool, and 'carefully' jammed the hat on my head.

"AUGH! SCARY IN THERE! MAKE! THE! PAIN! STOP!" sobbed the poor defenseless hat, as soon as it touched my head.

Eh, not really.

"Well, very intelligent...loyalty...power...and bravery. Where to put you...Slytherin maybe? ...Perhaps Hufflepuff..." the hat continued on for what felt like forever...then...

" b GRYFFINDOR! /b "

The table at which the Marauders sat erupted in cheers. I couldn't help but sigh with relief. They said they would still be my friends not matter what house I got in, but still...

I sighed again and grinned, as I headed toward the (still cheering) group. As soon as I sat down, Sirius started introducing me to his friends, and pointing out others and laughing at them. One poor soul in particular he called 'Sniffelous' (or something like that).

"That young lady over there is Lily Evans, James has been trying to go out with her for the past...three years, was it Remus?" said Sirius.

"No, I think it was about four years, but I could be wrong." Remus stated after pausing a moment.

"Shut up, you two. Evans is the only prefect in our house apart from Remus, so I suggest you ask her where your dormitory is," said James, scowling at them.

"What do you mean by 'tried', Sirius?" I asked completely ignoring James.

"Let's just say I don't exactly fancy him as much as he does me," said Lily, who heard her name and decided to join in the conversation.

"Well, I wanted to formally introduce myself. My name is Lily Evans, yes I am a prefect, and yes that prat has been trying to go out with me for the past four years," she finished.

"Jamesie is i not /i a prat!" I exclaimed indignantly.

"But can you blame me? I can't get a boyfriend because of him. All the other guys are afraid that James will murder them for 'stealing me', or some other nonsense!" she muttered darkly, shooting glares at poor defenseless James.

"Wait a minute...did you just call him i Jamesie? /i " she asked through her hysterical laughter.

"Ooh, got a point there..." I said, ignoring her comment and the blushing James.

Or should I say Jamesie?

"Would you like to meet my friends?" Lily asked brightly, taking me by surprise.

"Sure, why not."

"This is Haley. She is quiet around most people, but we can't make her stop blathering around us," Lily told me, pointing to a girl with shoulder-length brown hair.

Haley shot her a glare.

"Er...I mean...I don't know why I said that...what did I say?" Lily shook her head in fake confusion and moved onto the next person.

"This is Rachel; please don't be scared away by her hair. She is 'into' the color pink for reasons unbeknownst to all sane."

"I i LOVE /i it!" I cried enthusiastically, causing Rachel to beam.

"Do you think I should dye it blue? Pink makes me look a bit peaky, don't you think?" she asked, examining her hair on the back of a spoon.

Sirius cut in. "Oh no! Girly talk! Us manly men must start taking about manly stuff! Quick!"

The guys started to have a heated discussion about the Quidditch team, girls, broom cupboards, and firewhiskey.

Sigh Men...Perhaps I should say boys...Male teens, anyway.

hr /hr 

Twelve minutes later, the Marauders led me away to the common room, using about thirty complicated shortcuts.

"How am I supposed to remember how to get around?!" I exclaimed in defeat.

"Don't worry, we will help you out if you get lost," Remus said.

"Thank you, Remus," I said to him, beaming. (I had been beaming a lot lately.)

"Here we are! The password is 'pink tea cozy'," Sirius said, thoroughly annoyed by this apparently disturbing password.

While we played a game of gobstones, a game that was banned in my old school for 'hygienic reasons', Sirius took out his wand and winked in my direction. James never noticed it, but Sirius changed his hair a shade of pink rival to Rachel's.

hr /hr 

After playing wizard chess with Peter and introducing me to about twenty or thirty people (mostly guys), the Marauders bid me good night and headed upstairs. The way they 'bid me good night' was rather funny.

James bowed and gave me enormous wink. (He noticed his hair, and changed Sirius's hair blonde. James left his hair pink so Sirius would not get suspicious.)

Peter gave a short wave, and while he was heading back he tripped. (Poor guy!)

Sirius bowed deeply and kissed my hand, while I pretended to blush. (I only half had to pretend...)

Remus rolled his eyes at the latter, shook my hand and said goodnight. While he was shaking my hand, he slipped a note into it. I decided to read it in the morning.

hr /hr 

Lily showed me where our dorm room was. I must admit, I was thrilled about how nice, soft, cozy, and warm the beds were.

One would think that having filthy rich parents, and going to a filthy rich school, would mean that you would have nice beds. Or at least beds that didn't make you feel like you were sleeping on rocks and jagged bits of rusty metal. Well, maybe not i rusty /i metal...

After a while, I drifted off to sleep, feeling like I was the second-luckiest girl in the world.

The first being the teenage wizard rock singing sensation, Gwen Green. I own all of her tapes.

b A/N: /b For information on lethifolds, consult i Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them /i .


	5. Of Confusion and Hairdye

When I awoke, I felt extremely comfortable. Perhaps it was my lovely new fluffy mattress. Oh, how I simply adored my mattress. I yawned and started smoothing the fur back on my cat's head, when I realized...

...I don't have a cat...

My eyes flew open in shock, and I found myself temporarily unable to breathe.

After a moment, I screamed to find Sirius cuddled up against me, a look of contentment on his pretty blond head...(Yes, his hair was still quite blond. It must not wear off easily)

"What the bleeding hell are you doing here?!" I shouted, my face growing hot.

He lazily opened one eye and said (rather calmly I might add, for someone who had woken up to a screaming girl), "Well you see, it started about fourteen years ago..."

"Gross! Not that! Why-" I took a deep breath, then started again, "I mean, why Sirius, are you in my bed?"

He pouted and opened his other eye. "I had a bad dream. Can't a guy put a Silencing Charm on one of his girl mate's bed-"

No wonder everyone was still asleep.

"-and then crawl inconspicuously into bed with her?"

I sighed, and told him slowly like a mother does to an upset toddler, "No, love. It is true, that although I love you like and over-active brother, that is quite unacceptable."

Sirius frowned and retorted, "Well Remus and James said I couldn't sleep in their beds! What was I to do, suffer?!"

"No, but why didn't you ask Peter or the other girls?"

i Or perhaps ask ME before you lied down... /i 

"Well, firstly-"

"Firstly isn't a word."

"It is too!"

"No, it isn't. But I shall agree that it does and save us some trouble."

"Fair enough." he continued, "FIRSTLY-," I rolled my eyes, "-Peter drools and snores, second the other girls would hit me very, very hard. And last, you are rather cuddly."

I Aww! /I 

"Yes... but... well... wait, how did you get here?" I paused, "In the girl's dorms, I mean. James told me that none of you blokes-"

"Uh-uh. That is a secret, m'dear."

"I don't like secrets..." I said as sweetly as I could.

He snorted. "You'll get over it." He then looked at me thoughtfully.

"So..."

'So' what?

"...are you still mad at me?"

I sighed. It was impossible to be mad at him... I mean look at that face! Even as a blond... besides... he B is /B cuddly.

I gave him another 'look', then said, "No, I guess not, but for future reference... please... I ask /I me next time you decide to sneak into my bed..."

He sighed then rolled his eyes. Then his entire face lit up.

Oh, no...

"So you mean to say, that, as long as I ask first, I can sleep in bed with you?"

Ugh. Pervert.

"Only if you have one hell of a good reason." His head dropped down again.

"Now, if you don't mind, I would like to get dressed."

His head shot up. "Do you need any h-"

"No. Out."

After taking a quick shower (in which I managed to get nearly half of a bottle of shampoo in my eyes), and applying my make-up, I remembered the note Remus gave to me. I reached under my pillow and pulled it out. It read,

I Miss Lauren,

We, (Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs), cordially invite you to a formal dinner at the Come-and-Go room. We would like to discuss some serious matters with you. (No, not 'Sirius') Ask Moony for directions. Dinner is at eight-o-clock sharp. (So do try not to get hurt...)

Sincerely,

The Marauders MWPP

P.S: We apologize in advance for Mr. Padfoot's downright atrocious, (awful, bad, barbaric, beastly, disturbing, gross, rotten, shocking, etc.) table manners.

We also apologize for Moony's need for those to be in alphabetical order. /I 

I was giggling at the last few lines when I heard an ear-piercing shriek. It sounded like a first year girl that had just encountered a boggart that took the appearance of me. Yes, I had taken some time to think that out. I grabbed my book-bag and sprinted out the door.

When I reached the common room, I saw that Sirius was sitting in the middle of the room on the floor. He was sobbing hysterically and clutching his hair.

"My hair! My gorgeous raven locks! Who hath done this to thee?" I blinked at his choice of words.

James coughed. Sirius slowly turned his head to face him.

"You..." he hissed.

"Thou hath done this to thee! Thou shalst now FEEL THY WRATH!" Sirius conjured a pillow and began beating James over thee- er... the head.

Through the laughter and random insults, I noticed that Moony kept shooting me looks. He looked quite upset about something. I slowly inched away from the battle, (James conjured another pillow) and muttered so nobody else could hear,

"You alright?" He looked over at me.

"Sure. Right. It's all... right." I turned to look at him fully. He averted his eyes to watch as Rachel and Haley snapped pictures and handed them to random people in the crowd.

"Remus, you are a terrible liar!" I grabbed his sleeve and dragged him into the hall outside the common room. "What is wrong?"

Remus stared at the wall behind me. "Nothing... well... erm... how did you... er... sleep last night?"

How did I-? Wait... oh I no /I ...

"You don't think that I-"

"No, really, it's okay, you don't have to explain. It's your life." He turned to walk into the common room, so I grabbed his sleeve again.

"Look, he had a 'nightmare' apparently and crawled into bed with me. Nothing happened. Honest. I can't believe you think I would do something like that!" I looked at him thoughtfully. "Why do you care, anyway?"

His face turned bright red and he muttered something that I could not hear. Before I had a chance to stop him, he rushed back into the common room. At the same time Sirius appeared through the door with a triumphant look on his face.

"Look! It's back to normal! My beautiful hair!"

I let out a sigh. Today will be a long, painful day.

B A/N: The author has nothing against blonds. In fact, said author used to be blond until said author dyed it red. After mentioned author dyed it red, said author proceeded to dye hair black. Mentioned author is considering green highlights /B 


	6. In Which the Narrator Loses Her Mind

About ten minutes later, James and Sirius decided to make a treaty to "leave thy mates prized possessions (clothes, hair, porn, broomsticks, etc.) undamaged, uncolored, and unchanged in any way, unless thy mate gives thee formal written permission". After signing it, they placed it into James' trunk, which contained many more papers.

"Just how many contracts do you guys make?" I asked hesitantly, fearing the answer.

"Is anyone bleeding? Anyone crying?" asked Sirius.

"Er... no, but-"

"Then it really doesn't matter, now does it?" James questioned with a dead serious look on his face.

Remus leaned toward me, and said in a loud whisper, "About ten per day."

"Hey!"

He leaned back.

"I was just telling her how many trays of food Sirius eats every day."

Sirius couldn't think of anything to say. He stared for a minute then said, "Meh."

"Can we go to breakfast?" asked Peter, probably avoiding another violent pillow fight.

"Ah, yes. Good idea!" exclaimed James.

As we walked toward the door, I began to feel weird. After walking for a few minutes, I realized that someone must be staring at me. I turned around, and as soon as I did Remus' eyes shot toward the ground.

Something told me, I don't know what, that only a few moments prior, Remus had been staring at me.

i Why would he? /i I thought to myself as James and Sirius argued about Ireland's Quidditch team. i I mean, you aren't exactly good-looking, they were joking about that before, right? /i 

Suddenly, I turned around again. While walking backwards, I asked,

"What's up, Remus?"

He looked at me blankly.

"Well, I am now walking to the Great Hall for breakfast. I am also talking to Lauren. Er... why do you ask?"

"No reason."

Hmm... silence.

"Remus, you are acting... strange... around me..." I said, folding my arms behind my head.

"What gives you that idea?"

"Well, caring about my bedroom activities, avoiding my eyes, blushing..."

"Er... Sirius! Lauren demands a hug!"

"I do no-"

Suddenly, Sirius enveloped me into a huge bear-hug... wow... he WAS cuddly... and he smelled good...

James interrupted, "If you guys continue your pre-snogging, I may just need escorted to the hospital wing."

We pulled apart, Sirius giving James an incredibly peeved of look. I looked over at Remus, who had the oddest expression on his face.

"Remus, are you-"

i You know what? /i I thought, i That's it. /i 

"Remus? You, me, talk, now." I turned to the others. "We'll meet up with you lot later."

hr /hr 

For the longest time we just walked along the halls in silence. I paused to look at a painting and asked him, "Well?"

"Er... well what?"

"Come off it, Remus, you're not i that /i thick."

"So you're saying that I'm thick?"

"Indeed. Don't change the subject. So what's up with you? All I get when I'm around you are awkward glances, that is, if you even i look /i at me. Why are you so uptight all of a sudden?"

"Well... I guess... I'm... jealous..."

"Of what..?"

"I LOVE SIRIUS!"

i NOW HANG ON! THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED! /i 

Oh, shut up, Remus, it's far better this way.

I Remus: I'M NOT GAY! /i 

But gay people are cool!

i Remus: But that didn't happen! /i 

Oh, fine.

Back to the 'real' version. Real b boring /b version, that is.

i Remus: Oh, shut up. /i 

"What are you jealous of?"

"Well... I guess... I-kinda-like-you," he finished quickly.

"Er... I'm sorry, didn't catch that last bit?

"I," he sighed, "I like you, and I was jealous because you and Sirius get along so well..."

"You 'like' me as a friend, or 'like' me in the romantic way?"

"Er... innaromaniccway..." he muttered.

"Aww! That's so sweet!"

He blushed a bit and looked at the painting behind me.

"So... will you go out with me?"

"Erm..."

"Oh no, not the dreaded 'erm'..."

It would have been so funny if he wasn't so serious.

b i No, I'm Sirius! /i /b 

i Remus: Shut up! /i 

Shut up!

b i Sirius: Fine... be that way... I'll go CRY now… /i /b 

AS I WAS SAYING, (I am i really /i sorry for these interruptions, by the way.)

"Well, you see, it's just that..." I bit my lip.

"And now she's biting her lip?" he asked no one in particular, a tad more jokingly.

"It's just that I've only known you for about a few days, don't you think it's a bit early to be dating? I don't even know your favorite colour!"

"Red."

"Hey, mine too!"

"We have so much in common! Want to go out?"

"Remus, I'm being serious."

b i Sirius: No, I'm-! /i /b 

SHUT UP, SIRIUS!

Anyway,

b i Sirius: You know, I heard that cuddly comment. /i /b 

ANYWAY,

"Okay, if I ask you out next month, will you say yes?"

"Remus! I don't i know /i ..!"

"I was just checking."

"Stop being such a James."

b Somebody call? /b 

FINE. THAT'S IT. YOU TELL THE STORY.

b James: I'm leaving! Leaving, right now... /b 

i Remus: Deep, healing breaths, Lauren. /i 

Okay.

"Stop being such a James. It's absolutely out of character for you"

"Alright. Speaking of which..." He leaned in closer. "...Should we tell him we can hear him under the cloak?"

I stole a glance at a very loud, yet deserted corner of the hall.

"OW! Sirius, that was my i foot /i !"

"Shut up, they'll hear us!"

I turned back to Remus and murmured, "Nah, more fun this way. How come they never get caught?"

"Silencing charms."

"Oh. Well, let's go. Breakfast is nearly over."


	7. Much Assuming and Potions

After a short walk, Remus and I walked into the Great Hall. Even after being there once, I still could not help but stare at the ceiling. It was currently showing a dark, cloudy sky, which threatened release to rain at any moment. I smiled a bit, and said to Remus, "It's such a lovely day."

He stole a glance at the ceiling, and responded with an amused tone. "You're not kidding, are you?" He glanced over to where I was walking. "You know, sooner or later you are going to trip. You have to look at where you're going."

"Oh, come off it, Remus. I have I never /I tripped, and I never will."

"Yeah... right." He rolled his eyes and chuckled softly.

I turned my head back down towards the room itself, and sat down next to Remus. Just as I was fixing myself some coffee, Sirius sat across from me, followed by James and Peter.

Peter looked at me awkwardly. "How much sugar are you going to use?" True, true, I did kind of empty half the sugar bowl in my drink. It's really not I that /I unhealthy, right?

Sirius began choking on his food through his laughter.

"It's not that funny... I still eat much healthier food than you," I said as James thumped him on the back.

"Yeah, I s'pose you're right..." He grinned and dumped the entire tray of bacon onto his plate.

I laughed and took a sip of my coffee. It tasted bitter.

"So... Lauren. What is it that you and Remus had to discuss?" asked Sirius, with a knowing smile.

"I was asking him if he thought that Sniffelous fellow you told me about would be interested in me."

Remus snorted half of his pumpkin juice up his nose.

"I doubt that," said Sirius.

"What? You don't think I'm good enough?" I felt my face grow warm.

"NO! I-"

"You really don't? Fine! I'll show you..." With that, I stalked off, muttering along the way.

hr /hr 

I Remus /I 

--------

I stared after her as she stalked off.

"She's just a bit quick to assume, eh?" sighed James.

"I only meant that I doubted she was talking about him!" Sirius exclaimed. He ran a hand through his hair and glanced over to the doors.

Lily sat near us and gave Sirius a look. "I couldn't help but overhear-"

"Of course you couldn't!"

"- that Miss Lauren seems to be upset," continued Lily, as though she was not interrupted.

"You've got that right."

"Do you want me to talk to her?"

"Will she kill us if any of us try?" I asked her with a bit of worry.

She thought for a moment, then sighed. "Yes, I'm afraid she would."

"Then by all means, speak with the girl," said Sirius. "Besides, we are far too young and handsome to die."

After promptly knocking her juice into Sirius' lap, she rose out of her seat and hurried out of the hall, leaving him cursing behind.

hr /hr 

Lauren

--------

I felt my face turn red as I stormed out of the room.

How dare he think I'm not good enough?! They are insulting him all the time anyway! They always told me how greasy, and horrid he was! Or… perhaps Sirius secretly likes him, and-

"OY! Lauren! Wait a minute!" I turned around as I heard Lily run up next to me.

"He- didn't mean- to insult… " She sputtered through her gasping and coughing.

"You're a tad out of shape, Lily."

"Irrelevant. I'm probably more in shape than I you /I , anyway. What I'm trying to say is I think Sirius meant that he doubted that you were talking about Snape. I'm sure he thinks you're… er… good enough for him."

"Oh... Hey! I am SO in better shape than you!"

"Why are you so competitive?"

"Oh. Oh I see. Changing the subject, are we?"

"Yes. The point is, I think you should forgive him."

"Oh... fine. You win… I this /I time." I turned around once more to search for Sirius.

"No, no, it's too late now, classes will start soon. What do you have?"

"Er..." I checked my schedule. "I have potions class with a Professor Slughorn." Her eyes lit up.

"Brilliant! I have the same class! I'll take you down. Oh, and I have your books too, you left them in the hall." She handed my books over, and I couldn't help but feel a bit... silly. I guess I should have controlled my temper…

"Oh, er, thanks."

She smiled. "It was no problem at all!"

hr /hr 

She led me down into the dungeons, which thankfully were not too far from the hall. The dungeons were dark and cold, and entirely lit by torches. I thought it looked kind of cool, but I didn't dare tell Lily. Almost as soon as I got here, James told me dungeons were "Slytherin Territory". I didn't need her mad at me, I just got here. The last thing I want is people in my own house disliking me.

We walked into the room, and sat near the front. Only a few seconds later, Rachel and Haley walked in too. They sat behind us, so I spun around in my seat.

"Hello there, Lauren. Boy troubles?" Rachel smirked and passed me a piece of gum.

"Eh, I s'pose you could call it that. I think me and Lily here sorted that out, so I'll forgive him." Haley rolled her eyes at this.

"Did he even I do /I anything to need forgiven?"

"Er... I don't think... but if I forgive him that makes me a good person, right?" Rachel and Haley exchanged a look.

"Whatever you want to think, Hun." Rachel nodded towards the front of the room.

I turned my head just in time to watch the Marauders file in. Sirius hastily sat down at the table next to me, and started talking faster than a three year old on sugar high.

"Listen-I'm-sorry-didn't-mean-it-that-way-forgive-me?"

"Sure." I turned back toward the front of the room, and got out my potions book and cauldron. Sirius had a look of utmost relief on his face.

"Blimey, that was easier than I thought." He punched James in the shoulder. "You said I'd have to buy her flowers and candy!" I grinned at this.

"I wouldn't I mind /I flowers and candy..."

"Oh, save it for Remus."

I looked over at Remus, who was sitting with Peter behind Sirius and James. I winked, and he rolled his eyes. Hey, it was worth a shot.

Suddenly the room got quiet as the potions master walked in. He was very... huge. If you think of a walrus, and add a bit of hair, and throw it in robes, you get Professor Slughorn. Oh, and apparently he can also talk.

"Good morning, class. I see we have new student, a Miss... Lauren Palmer. Would that be any relation to Eric Palmer?" He seemed quite excited.

"Ah yes, Eric Palmer. Seer and eavesdropper extraordinaire. Bless him. He's my uncle, and current guardian." Professor Slughorn seemed very satisfied with this answer, and chuckled loudly.

"Ah, yes! I had the pleasure of teaching your uncle. Outstanding student, great sense of humor, which I see you have as well! Possibly you have his potions skills?"

"Professor, there are approximately one thousand potion accidents in this country each year. I am responsible for half." There was a great screech of chairs as the students edged away from me.

He gave another, somewhat weaker chuckle.

"Right well, take out your books and turn to page six-hundred-ninety-three. We will be brewing a simple shrinking solution, which is sure to come up in your O.W.Ls next year. Now,"

"WHAT?!" I screamed. "Next year? But... I next year?!" /I 

"Yes... when did you think they were?"

"At my school... seventh years..."

"Well, if that be the case, I suggest you get cracking then. We run things a tad different here at Hogwarts." He gave yet another chuckle. "You all have thirty minutes. Begin!"

I shot a look at Lily, she was already at step three... oh dear.

hr /hr 

By the end of class, well... let's just say that they had to evacuate the classroom, and leave it at that.


	8. Tutor?

Chapter Eight

Tutor?

All my other classes went exceptionally well. I already knew everything the teacher had to talk about in divination, so there wasn't all that much for me to do there. He was impressed, however, and asked if I wanted to skip to take classes with the seventh years. I politely declined, as I don't even like divination. Really, I want to be a healer.

After the Potions incident, which I really don't care to talk about, I was sent to see Professor McGonagall. She explained to me that if I didn't shape up in Potions, I wouldn't pass my O.W.L exam, and I wouldn't get my dream job. After a while, we decided to get me a tutor. Some guy named Severus Snape.

She said she would rather Lily were to help me, but unfortunately, Lily had too many classes. I visited Professor Slughorn later on, and he said the extra help would be wonderful. He told me Snape was an excellent Potions student, the very best in his class. Even if Lily was the best Potions student he had ever seen.

Professors McGonagall and Slughorn decided I were to take these tutoring lessons with him. We chose every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at nine-o-clock. Slughorn sent an owl to Severus, who agreed, as long as he got extra credit.

I decided I would probably like this kid.

After the meetings, I headed down to lunch to tell my friends.

"That's nice." Lily said, taking a bite of food.

Sirius, James, and Remus, however, gawked at me.

"What the… but… why?" Sirius stuttered, his mouth slightly agape.

Lightly pushing his chin up, I told him, "You saw what happened in Potions. If I want to be a healer-"

"You want to be a healer?" Remus interrupted. I raised my eyebrows, agitated with his intrusion, and he muttered an apology. "But, you want to be a healer?"

"Yes. I do."

"Oh. Alright then."

hr /hr 

i Remus /i 

--------

I blinked back at her. She wanted to be a healer? How would she get such a good job being a- being a werewolf? They would surely find out with all those tests they give you… though I couldn't bring myself to point this out and I stabbed moodily at my plate.

She looked so cheerful, too. She was smiling widely and telling a disgruntled James and Sirius how much she looked forward to her lessons with Snape. I had an unpleasant feeling in my stomach. Suddenly, without thinking, I blurted out,

"I could teach you instead."

She stared at me. "That's a lovely offer, but he already agreed. Besides, you're better in Care of Magical Creatures and Defense, right?" I nodded bleakly and felt a sting of annoyance.

hr /hr 

b i Sirius /i /b 

------

I rolled my eyes at Remus. He did have a good point though. I couldn't believe Snape was going to get to spend all that time with a pretty girl like Lauren. Alright, well, it's not like I don't hang out with her a lot, and it's not like I don't get to talk to pretty girls. No, that wasn't it at all. I'm always surrounded by pretty girls. I suppose it's because of my natural charm… but it still stung. I mean, what if he soiled her mind with his unpleasantness? Not to mention, I was much better in Transfiguration…

"Hey, Lauren, you need to know Transfiguration to be a healer. And I just happen to be the best there is in the subject." I smiled charmingly, while James rolled his eyes. "Would you like some hands-on help?" I winked.

Lauren did not look amused.

"Yeah, like that would happen. I'll have you know that I'm doing excellently in Transfiguration. Besides, you'd spend the whole time flirting with me or trying to snog me."

I laughed. "There IS this nice broom closet-"

"Don't even go there, Sirius."

hr /hr 

Lauren

--------

Later that night, Remus and I were sitting alone in the common room. The other boys had snuck into the kitchens, so we were sitting on the sofa doing nothing of particular interest.

I turned to Remus. "Where is the come-and-go room?" He smiled.

"Yeah, it'll be eight in a few moments. We ought to head down or they'll have our heads."

Remus and I decided to hold off and snog for a bit instead. He began to--

Just kidding.

Remus and I were walking through the halls in silence. It felt a little bit cold, and I somewhat regretted leaving the common room so early. Every now and then a ghost would drift across the hall, and I could often feel Remus staring at me.

Suddenly, he stopped walking. I looked at him in confusion. "What's wrong?"

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. After a while, he said carefully, "I just wanted to say I was sorry."

I blinked stupidly. "What for?"

He looked away from me and towards a blank wall. "Just for… everything, you know? For biting you… and, well, for being so… clingy?" He looked at me again.

"You took being a werewolf very well. I think even if you weren't one yourself, you wouldn't be afraid of one… It's just that," he cleared his throat and looked away again. "It's just that I never expected a girl to be okay with that, and jumped at the chance… you know? It was very disrespectful of me, and I should have waited to see if I even liked you well enough yet." He blushed. "Don't get me wrong, you would probably be a lovely girlfriend-" I stopped him by setting a hand on his shoulder.

"I understand what you're saying Remus. I know the world isn't fair. I know it must be… scary… to think that you might fall for someone who won't be afraid of you. But you should know that it's worth that risk. I'm sure you'll find a lovely girl someday, Remus. I also think you just need a little bit more love." He blushed even more.

"I have the best friends I could ever ask for. I-" I stopped him this time by pulling him into a hug. He froze for a second, but then wrapped his arms around my back. I sighed. "Boys can be insensitive idiots. I'm sure you understand that. You just need a proper girly-mate to help you sort out your emotional traumas." He laughed a little nervously. I rolled my eyes, and leaned back to look at him. "I'm going to make sure you have the proper emotional support, even if it means being around you to the point of stalking." He rolled his eyes at this.

"That's just what I need, a stalker." He smiled, so I knew he was just teasing me. I laughed and slung an arm around his shoulder. "Come on, you're supposed to be showing me where this room is."

He laughed, "Right this way, Miss."

A few minutes later, we found ourselves besides a painting.

Hr /hr 

Remus, Sirius, James, Peter, and I all sat on overstuffed armchairs around a fire, with a huge bowl of chocolate frogs in the middle. Around the room were posters of various Quidditch teams, a large amount of photographs, and an even larger amount of scrolls.

Sirius stretched back in his seat and yawned, Peter bit the head off a struggling chocolate frog, Remus pored over several scrolls of parchment that had moving diagrams, and James smiled at me.

"Welcome to the Marauder's Hideaway."

Sirius leaned forward in his seat. "Speaking of Marauders…"

"Right." James said, and the four boys exchanged a look. After a few moments, Sirius turned to look at me. "Well, love, we seem to have come to the conclusion-"

"That I can't become a Marauder because I'm a girl and I simply haven't been a part of the group long enough." I mimicked Sirius' charming smile and grabbed a chocolate frog, flopping down into my seat. "Tell me something I don't know."

The boys gaped at me, not for the first time that day.

I raised an eyebrow. "I didn't EXPECT to be let into this little crew, really. It was fun to joke, but really," I chewed thoughtfully on my chocolate. "You'd simply cramp my style."

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh. "Alright, then. That's settled. Who's up for some Exploding Snape?"

"Exploding Snape?"

"The cards have pictures of your new tutor on them." He handed me a card, and I rolled my eyes.

"How about gobstones?"

For the next forty minutes, Sirius and I would play various Wizarding games, Remus and James would discuss pranking plans, and Peter would float back and forth giving his input.

I glanced at the clock and jumped up, toppling mine and Sirius' chess game. "Sorry love, but I'll be late for my tutoring lesson." I grabbed my books and headed towards the door. "I'll see you lot tomorrow."

hr /hr 

u i Severus /i /u 

----------

I set up a cauldron in the unused classroom in the dungeon. I was a little frightened of teaching this girl. I heard she had blown up the Potions classroom, and now it would have to be moved down into the dungeons. Already, all the Potions supplies were moved down and placed onto the shelves. I decided I would have to be very careful on what I let her do.

After I had set out all of the ingredients, there was a light tap on the door.

I rolled my eyes. "You might as well come inside."

A girl with fluffy red hair pushed open the door tentatively, and smiled timidly.

Oh, just splendid. She was going to be i shy. /i I sighed and hoped we'd actually end up accomplishing something.

She walked forward and stuck out her hand. "Lauren Palmer."

I shook her hand once and dropped it. "Severus Snape."

"It's a pleasure."

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss." I paused. "Out of curiosity, did you truly blow up the potions classroom?" Her eyes widened and she blushed awfully. She recovered and retorted, "It's not my fault! Well, okay, it was my cauldron. But really, if Sirius hadn't been flirting with me the whole lesson-"

"Oh, no." I rolled my eyes. "Great, I'm going to be tutoring Black's new victim."

She frowned. "What do you mean by 'victim'?" she inquired, obviously blissfully unaware of the sort of people she had been mucking around with. I decided to tell her all about them.

I motioned her to the seat near my and started pulling out ingredients as I spoke. "Black, Potter, Pettigrew, and Lupin are the worst lot Hogwarts has ever seen. Admittedly, Lupin doesn't do much, but I think he has something to do with the more complex jokes, and he never tries to stop his friends." I paused to sniff a few leaves, checking to see if they expired.

She rolled her eyes. "It's just fun and games. What's wrong with a few pranks?"

I clenched my teeth. "Some of them aren't so funny."

She looked a little dismayed, and said nothing for a moment. "OK… I don't know what sort of pranks they pull… but what did you mean by victim?"

I sneered, "Black is, frankly, quite popular with the ladies; Quite a huge flirt. A heart-breaker, from what I can tell."

"Oh." She said softly.

I sighed at her ignorance. "Now, I'm going to teach you a potion that you should have learned in first year, but is the basic substance for most potions you will be brewing…"

Miss Palmer did not say much more for the remainder of our lesson.


End file.
